Systems and methods for televising events, such as live sporting events, are known and have been in place for at least a half century, and for nearly all of that time analog video signal generation and processing equipment was not only the preferred approach to television broadcasting, it was the only approach to television broadcasting.
Within the North American broadcast market, NTSC analog video signals had been the standard for the broadcast industry since 1940 when the Federal Communications Commission adopted the standard, however more recently a number of alternate digital signaling technologies have come into use and have changed the dynamics of how events are broadcast. Those signaling technologies currently include ASI digital video signals, DS-3 digital video transport signals, SDI digital video transport signals, and HD-SDI digital video transport signals.
The multiplicity of signal types, combined with the use of a backbones of information networks for high speed, and world wide deployment of event broadcasts have created difficulties in assuring proper configuration of equipment is present and fully operative throughout the operative broadcast network. Accordingly, as market pressures continue to demand higher quality, live, reliable broadcasts (available worldwide), challenges remain and a need persists for improvements in methods and apparatuses for use in broadcast processing and distribution.